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Fix Pick: Blagojevich's Tentacles

The criminal investigation into Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his administration broke out into the open two weeks ago when "Pay-Rod" was arrested for allegedly attempting to sell the Senate seat being vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.

But, the Senate seat was only the tip of the proverbial iceberg when it comes to Blagojevich and the allegations of corruption that have dogged him almost since he was sworn-in (ironically on an ethics reform platform) as governor in 2002.

But, here's the nub of the piece -- for those of you too busy with Christmas shopping to read the whole thing -- as written by Johnson and Kindy:

"Many of the developments in Operation Board Games never attracted national headlines. They involved expert tactics in which prosecutors used threats of prosecution or prison time to flip bit players in a tangle of elaborate schemes that Fitzgerald has called pay-to-play 'on steroids.'

But now, Fitzgerald's patient strategy has led to uncomfortable questions not only for Blagojevich but also for the powerful players who privately negotiated with him, unaware that their conversations were being monitored. Democratic Rep. Jesse L. Jackson Jr. faces queries about his interest in the Senate seat, and key players in the Obama presidential transition team -- White House Chief of Staff-designate Rahm Emanuel and adviser Valerie Jarrett -- are being asked about their contacts with the governor on the important appointment."

Since the Obama camp has offered to let people listen to the tapes of their conversations with the governor or anyone else for that matter, I would suggest that reporters work a deal with Fitzgerald to listen to those conversations. That should settle things and we could go on discussing things that matter.

Actually, I prefer to wait for the Special Prosecutor to make his case on the facts, instead of some nasty innuendo about "Rahmbo" that so obviously is loaded with bias. However, after the scandal riddled Bush Administration, I guess I can see how the suspicion is so close to the surface in the minds of the people. But I guess the theory of assumed innocence is a legal nicety that many just chose to ignore.

Sure sounds like you an broadwayjoe are a part of a conspiracy to limit the civil rights of internet posters - by attempting to scheme to limit the free speech rights of internet posters, that is a civil rights violation.

well.

Seriously, if you have done this, it is a violation of Federal Civil Rights Acts.

It is a serious violation.

I would invite the Washington Post to investigate if there is a concerted effort to limit free speech rights on this website BASED ON CONTENT - and report those findings to the Justice Department for prosecution.

One would have to be dumb as a post to believe that Barack Obama and Rahm Emanuel stayed squeeky-clean in Chicago's Democratic Party pay-to-play political swamp, while all the other Chicago Democratic Party swamp-critters were getting rich playing the corrupt political system all around them. The fact is that nobody goes anywhere in Chicago politics unless they're 'players', so both Obama and Emanuel had to be players to get to the top of the Chicago political food-chain. While I'm sure both Obama and Emanuel will get free passes by the Democratic Party--controlled MSM, who'll do everything they can to protect them from any political fallout because they're Democrats, both I'm sure where knee-deep in the pay-to-play Chicago corruption swamp and covered with the same swamp-muck of corruption as Blago, Rezko, Jackson Jr., et al. It's lucky for them that they have the MSM in their hip-pocket, who'd turn this scandal into another Watergate if this had been a Republican scandal.

Posted by 37andOdrools: "The democratic party is the biggest FRAUD in the history of the nation - and Obama has won an election based on offering the country a candy-land notion of post-partisan, post-racial transparent government which he has NO intention of putting in place."
____

37, I'm sure you will do your best to see that this Nation is never fully post-partisan or post-racial. BTW, isn't lock down in 15 mins.?

I will give you three examples of how bad the democratic party is: take all three senatorial sucessions we are witnessing.

In Illinois, the corruption and graft of the democratic party has been laid bare.

In Delaware, the nepotism and downright ugly politics of the internal democratic party is a stark example - if Illinois was not so bad, Delaware would be taking the cake.

In New York, the fight over Caroline has shown how corrupt and pathetic the internal workings of the democratic party is.

In New Jersey, a high-level Assemblyman, who recently resigned, was finally indicted on child porn charges - in addition to the multitude of democratic party officials indicted this year.

OK Sorry that is four examples of ugly the democratic party is.

Do you really want your country run this way???

The latte liberals have this fantasy that the democratic party officials are out helping the poor every day.

The democratic party forgets about the poor, forgets about the poor neighborhoods, the day after every election.

The democratic party is the biggest FRAUD in the history of the nation - and Obama has won an election based on offering the country a candy-land notion of post-partisan, post-racial transparent government which he has NO intention of putting in place.

First, as to Mr. "37":
More important than any questions about the Blags matter or even Health Care is why the robo-troll currently posting as "Yes37thandORulesForever" has changed his/her handle yet again? By my count, this is his/her 16th troll handle change. Previous troll handles include: 37thandORulesForever, 37thandORules, 37thandOStreet, 37thandO, DorchesterandCongress, and, for a couple of days, some goofy handle that had "army" in it. Before any more posts, 37, would you, as McEnroe might say, ANSWER THE QUESTION. Please.

As for Blags, the issue of Rahm's contacts, as I understand it, is a non-issue. Reports are that O's internal investigation reveals Rahm had one (1) direct conversation with Blags about the Senate seat and offered only his appreciation for anything Blags could do for Jarrett. Other than that, Rahm had nothing to say, no involvement in "dealmaking." O, of course, was exonerated at the outset. This is entertaining but in the end just a local Illinois story pumped up by the bloviators. To his credit in his recent interview of Biden, Stephanopoulos didn't ask Joe one question about Blags.

Finally, Jeffrey Dunn has a very disturbing piece in HuffPo today on the main Phalin supporter site, teamsarah.org. We cannot repeat here any of the racist and hateful anti-O material on the site (as Dunn has described the site); yes, it's that offensive. Hopefully Powell and Hagel will take back the party from this kind of dangerous 1950s extremism.

How can anyone in the right mind view George Stephanopolous as anything other than a "FRIEND OF RAHM" - they worked together in the Clinton campaign in 92 and in the Clinton White House ????

George is completely "in the tank"

What is wrong with the media that they appear to be taking the transition team's investigation of ITSELF as the definitive word - AND they were going to let George Stephanopolous give it the seal of approval???

George Stephanopoulos reported that Obama’s investigation found Emanuel and Blagojevich had only one contact. However, in the Sunday San Francisco Chronicle, in legendary California Democrat Willie Brown’s column “Willie’s World,” he disclosed that Governor Blagojevich called him, and in their chat told him that he had “many heated conversations” with Rahm Emanuel. I have more and the links to both columns in my blog post: http://strongasanoxandnearlyassmart.blogspot.com/2008/12/obama-blagojevich-emanuel-cover-up.html

As far as Rahm Emanuel goes, there should be a long pattern one way or the other. Either he did favors for Blagojevich or he did not. Blagojevich's own words show that he did not expect that the Obama team would grant him any favors. People may not like hearing Emanuel lobby for Valerie Jarett or probably hear someone suggest to him that Blagojevich is looking for a favor. But as long as Emanuel has avoided compromising himself by actually doing favors for Blagojevich, he has no real ethical problem.

I like the graphic -- the name of "Fast Eddie" Vrdolyak brings back memories of Chicago Machine politics of yore. Battles with Mayor Washington, switching to the R party and getting spanked by Richie Daley. If Fitzgerald could flip Vrdolyak, that graphic would fill a couple of pages of agate type.

I think more should be made of the courage of Pam Davis. She could have had approval for the hospital expansion she had worked for years to achieve simply by agreeing to use designated vendors. No sweat to anybody, just bury the costs in the project. Instead, she knew right from wrong and had the guts to follow through. In all the sorry headlines of this story, the financial meltdown, regulatory failures, etc. that have dominated the news lately, there have been very, very few profiles of courage. Pam Davis is one and the story should be told over and over with props to her. It's too bad there aren't more folks like her, particularly inside the beltway and at statehouses around the nation.

"No way Obama's internal report clears Rahmbo or anyone else on the transition team completely. Nobody will say what really happened - and no one knows what may come out of a Blago trial"

The only person that could officially 'clear' Emmanual, or Jarret, or Jackson, is Fitzgerald. The lesson to be learned from the Scooter Libby trial is: tell the truth, the whole truth & nothing but the truth.